Today, I worked on preparing for next week's refugees all day. At last week's staff meeting, many staff members wrote down questions for Eva, our refugee coordinator, about refugee programs, life as a refugee, etc. Questions included: What type of services do refugees receive in the United States? Where do most refugees come from? Where do our refugees work? What are appropriate greetings for different cultures? What is considered taboo? How much income does Siloam receive for refugee services?

This afternoon, I did my best to create a document and find the answers to all of these. Most of the questions had pretty standard answers based on the State Department and the Tennessee Office for Refugees, which control federal funding and state appropriations, and based on World Relief and Catholic Charities, which are local refugee agencies.

What I did find extremely interesting, however, was looking up the cultural traditions, taboos, and etiquettes around the world. (if you are ever travelling, use culturalcrossing.net - it provides cultural greetings, taboos, gender issues, ideas on personal space, laws, etc for every country in the world). I pulled out relevant information for the top refugee populations that we encounter - Burma, Bhutan, Cuba, Somalia, Iraq, and a few others - in order to share with staff as to better respect the cultures of our patients.

Here are some interesting things that I learned:

- In Vietnam, it is offensive to touch someone's head or pass an object over one's head, as it is considered the most sacred part of the body.

- In Cuba, avoid spitting, blowing your nose, or taking pictures of people in public.

- In many cultures (Iran, Iraq, Vietnam), beckoning someone with palm faced upward is considered offensive. Rather, the palm should face downward and beckon without using thumb (as in a scratching motion).

- In many countries (Somalia, Egypt, Nepal), do not accept items with your left hand - it is to be used only for hygiene.

- In many countries in Asia and the Middle East, pointing at someone with your foot or using your foot to move something is very offensive.

- In many areas around the world, it is appropriate to bow at an elderly person as a sign of respect.

- In Nepal, shaking the head back and forth means "yes" while nodding up and down means "no."

Eva and I used what I found on the website to compile a list of country-specific norms and guidelines, as well as a general "what not to do when dealing with refugees" list.

Here are some general guidelines to follow when dealing with people from other countries:

- Women should avoid making direct, prolonged eye contact with the men of the family, as it can be considered flirtatious.
- Avoid beckoning with palm facing upward. If you must beckon, use whole hand with palm facing downward.
- Avoid pointing at someone with your index finger, as it is offensive in many cultures. If you must point at someone, use whole hand as a gesture.
- Do not point at people with your toe or move something with your foot.
- An arms length of space is a good rule for personal space.
- Avoid accepting objects or performing everyday tasks with left hand.
- Avoid touching people on their head, as some cultures consider it the most sacred part of the body.
- Avoiding giving the “thumbs up” or “OK” signals.

We will share our findings tomorrow at staff meeting and hopefully in the future to all volunteers to improve interactions with refugees and people from other countries.